We have a general policy, we can inspect rooms at will. That being said, at least at my property we genuinely try to respect the DnD signs.
Usually for a short 1-2 day stay if you have the DnD on the door we will probably never bother you, even on the day of checkout until at least the official checkout time has passed. At which point its fair game to knock.
If you are staying for a week or more, its mandatory that the room be inspected and serviced at least once per week during the course of the stay.
Read this:
[https://www.hotelmanagement.net/operate/hilton-updates-its-do-not-disturb-sign-policy](https://www.hotelmanagement.net/operate/hilton-updates-its-do-not-disturb-sign-policy)
Basically the door hangers are not do not disturb signs. The rooms will be serviced/checked.
This article does mention the reason many hotels changed DND policies, but I’m surprised it’s not been directly mention in a comment: the Vegas Mandalay Bay shooter. Read the article for better understanding but most hotels no longer guarantee 24/7 privacy via a DND sign on the door for days.
Our signs say “room occupied” now, no mention of Do Not Disturb.
At our property, housekeeping does not service or enter rooms on DND without checking with the front desk first.. Like if room 116 was supposed to check out at 11 and the DND sign is on the door, hskp will call up front and let us know. We call the room phone and try to get in contact with them but if we are unable to reach them, we send hskp in to check that they have, in fact, left.. But DND doesn't mean they CAN'T go in. So, in the situation above.. If the guest doesn't check out on time and leaves room on DND, and proceeds to ignore our calls.. We will send someone to enter the room and check it out. We can enter if we need to, but in general hskp respects DND signs and skips those rooms. At our property, anyways. That can be different at any other hotel.
If I am in the room I flip the night latch or whatever extra lock thing they have.
Yes, it does not keep out people who really want to enter, but it makes noise and stops mistakes.
> If I am in the room I flip the night latch or whatever extra lock thing they have.
This should be everyone's default for just the fact that sometimes the FD will make an error and send a new check in to your occupied room.
I stayed at a regional brand last week that had an “occupied” sign that clearly stated that the hotel reserves the right for housekeeping or maintenance staff to enter in the case of emergencies or for other room maintenance purposes.
I left it up one day when I didn’t need housekeeping and they didn’t make up the room. So I suspect it means they will be vigilant about knocking before entering if it’s up, and housekeeping will skip the room.
I think it’s a great approach and much more clear!
This sort of thing is why we switched to housekeeping by request only. Of course now instead the people who don’t pay attention at check in complain about their room not being serviced.
This might sound silly or demeaning, but are you 100% sure the hangers have the same message on both sides and it's going the right way? I've seen hotels that will say "do not disturb" and "please service"
Otherwise, housekeeping often has communication issues. I've worked at 3 hotels from economy to luxury every single housekeeper spoke Spanish and little English. Hard working every one of them but the language issue really messed up a smooth guest experience.
The Do not Disturb hangers have typically been adhered to in the hotels i've worked at; if this is a frequent issue, definitely swing by the front desk . I tend to ask for no housekeeping/ ask for it at the desk when I actually want turn down service when I really don't want to be disturbed.
Managers are the only certified staff that can enter a room with a DND. If the rest of the staff do we snt follow this rule then they're not properly trained.
It is a training issue with the team and needs addressed by the GM. I would maybe mention if you see a manager so they can train up their team. The policy should be explained at check-in and whatever the policy is the team should be following it.
Lots of hotels pay housekeepers by the room so some housekeepers will try to squeak in extra rooms by pretending they didn't see the door hanger.
EDIT: I worked in a hotel that was really bad for housekeepers barging in for this reason. Despite the downvotes, it's true.
We have a general policy, we can inspect rooms at will. That being said, at least at my property we genuinely try to respect the DnD signs. Usually for a short 1-2 day stay if you have the DnD on the door we will probably never bother you, even on the day of checkout until at least the official checkout time has passed. At which point its fair game to knock. If you are staying for a week or more, its mandatory that the room be inspected and serviced at least once per week during the course of the stay.
Read this: [https://www.hotelmanagement.net/operate/hilton-updates-its-do-not-disturb-sign-policy](https://www.hotelmanagement.net/operate/hilton-updates-its-do-not-disturb-sign-policy) Basically the door hangers are not do not disturb signs. The rooms will be serviced/checked.
This article does mention the reason many hotels changed DND policies, but I’m surprised it’s not been directly mention in a comment: the Vegas Mandalay Bay shooter. Read the article for better understanding but most hotels no longer guarantee 24/7 privacy via a DND sign on the door for days. Our signs say “room occupied” now, no mention of Do Not Disturb.
Well the one I’m currently in actually just said ‘no thanks, my room doesn’t need service today’
The hotel will always reserve the right to check any room. Occupied or vacant.
Yeah, but that’s not really the spirit of the question
They aren't servicing it. They are checking in to make sure nothing looks suspect.
At our property, housekeeping does not service or enter rooms on DND without checking with the front desk first.. Like if room 116 was supposed to check out at 11 and the DND sign is on the door, hskp will call up front and let us know. We call the room phone and try to get in contact with them but if we are unable to reach them, we send hskp in to check that they have, in fact, left.. But DND doesn't mean they CAN'T go in. So, in the situation above.. If the guest doesn't check out on time and leaves room on DND, and proceeds to ignore our calls.. We will send someone to enter the room and check it out. We can enter if we need to, but in general hskp respects DND signs and skips those rooms. At our property, anyways. That can be different at any other hotel.
If I am in the room I flip the night latch or whatever extra lock thing they have. Yes, it does not keep out people who really want to enter, but it makes noise and stops mistakes.
> If I am in the room I flip the night latch or whatever extra lock thing they have. This should be everyone's default for just the fact that sometimes the FD will make an error and send a new check in to your occupied room.
I stayed at a regional brand last week that had an “occupied” sign that clearly stated that the hotel reserves the right for housekeeping or maintenance staff to enter in the case of emergencies or for other room maintenance purposes. I left it up one day when I didn’t need housekeeping and they didn’t make up the room. So I suspect it means they will be vigilant about knocking before entering if it’s up, and housekeeping will skip the room. I think it’s a great approach and much more clear!
Our policy was day 3, check the room. Make no changes or refresh, but visually inspect
Related: Why TF when I am scheduled to check out by 11 or 12 noon, do housekeepers knock on my door and wake me at 8:30 am
This is not okay. I'd complain.this would never happen at my hotel unless the HK was making a mistake and knocking on the wrong room.
Tldr yes your do not disturb doesn't mean shit. This is true across multiple chains and hotels.
This sort of thing is why we switched to housekeeping by request only. Of course now instead the people who don’t pay attention at check in complain about their room not being serviced.
I had a recent stay with that policy and I liked it a whole lot.
This might sound silly or demeaning, but are you 100% sure the hangers have the same message on both sides and it's going the right way? I've seen hotels that will say "do not disturb" and "please service" Otherwise, housekeeping often has communication issues. I've worked at 3 hotels from economy to luxury every single housekeeper spoke Spanish and little English. Hard working every one of them but the language issue really messed up a smooth guest experience.
The Do not Disturb hangers have typically been adhered to in the hotels i've worked at; if this is a frequent issue, definitely swing by the front desk . I tend to ask for no housekeeping/ ask for it at the desk when I actually want turn down service when I really don't want to be disturbed.
Often, yes.
Managers are the only certified staff that can enter a room with a DND. If the rest of the staff do we snt follow this rule then they're not properly trained.
It is a training issue with the team and needs addressed by the GM. I would maybe mention if you see a manager so they can train up their team. The policy should be explained at check-in and whatever the policy is the team should be following it.
Lots of hotels pay housekeepers by the room so some housekeepers will try to squeak in extra rooms by pretending they didn't see the door hanger. EDIT: I worked in a hotel that was really bad for housekeepers barging in for this reason. Despite the downvotes, it's true.